Longtime town councilman stresses balance in development

By Rose Meily, for Silicon Valley Community Newspapers

Posted:
06/11/2014 06:10:09 PM PDT

Updated:
06/11/2014 06:10:11 PM PDT

Local Realtors keep up with developments in town by regularly inviting town officials to their bimonthly meetings, to educate them on current and upcoming projects. In May, longtime Los Gatos Town Councilman Joe Pirzynski spoke to the Realtors on how the town is faring after the Great Recession and development projects that are underway.

Pirzynski is a three-term Los Gatos mayor and a four-term Los Gatos council member. He has devoted 16 years of service to the community. At the local Realtor meeting, Pirzynski noted the importance of the Realtor role in the community, indicating the value of property has spiraled since he settled in Los Gatos 40 years ago. Pirzynski looked back at those years and compared them to the present.

"We are living in the most interesting of times," remarked Pirzynski.

When he bought his home in Los Gatos in the mid-1970s, Pirzynski said it was a struggle to come up with the price. He has no regrets, because since then home prices have increased exponentially.

"Clearly, there is no better place to live in Silicon Valley," said Pirzynski.

Pirzynski said these are interesting times because a few years ago, everything was in full swing: Schools were being rebuilt and many projects were in the wings. Then came the Great Recession and, like other communities, the town's "swan list" disappeared. Thankfully, the valley has bounced back and development is happening once more, with a number of projects under way or at the planning stages. There's soon to be a new niche for medical services for the West Valley Center, the redevelopment of Samaritan Drive and more mixed-use development.

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In his tenure on the council, Pirzynski has been instrumental in renewing an emphasis on traffic safety. He said while development is good for the town, there needs to be a balance because "each segment of development impacts schools and traffic." The construction of homes brings in more families, which increases the student population, which impacts class size and school traffic.

"We need to be conscious of development's impact on class size and traffic," said Pirzynski.

Silicon Valley is experiencing significant traffic as a result of a booming economy, he added, and there needs to be good planning around how to maintain the economic well-being of the community yet reduce traffic. Pirzynski said there are proposals to ease the traffic situation, but some are controversial, like making a toll lane on Highway 85.

The former Los Gatos mayor also told the Realtors to keep an eye on the North 40 Specific Plan, which would create a mixed-use development with 364 residential units for seniors age 55 and older and young adults, up to 400,000 square feet of retail and about 200,000 square feet of office and hotel space. The North 40 area is bounded by Highway 85 on the north, Lark Avenue on the south, Highway 17 on the west and Los Gatos Boulevard on the east.

Pirzynski invites the public to attend scheduled meetings on this specific plan. He said the plan is expected to go to the planning commission in July and then to the town council in August.

As the longest-serving Los Gatos council member, Pirzynski feels a responsibility for keeping the balance between progress and retaining the quality of life in his town. "At the end of the day, when I walk through town I want to be proud of what has been done to make Los Gatos the best place to live, work, raise a family and experience life in a small town," said Pirzynski.